NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Looking to get the Atlantic Sun Conference started on the right foot, the Lipscomb baseball team stumbled out of the gate in an 8-2 loss to North Florida on Friday night at Ken Dugan Field at Stephen L. Marsh Stadium in Nashville.

“You never think Hunter (Brothers) is going to go out there and give up a four spot in the first inning and then come out of the game after three and two-thirds with 11 hits,” said Lipscomb head coach Jeff Forhand. “We’ve got to get that right, get the ball down and get some more swing and misses.

“We had a chance to help Hunter out a couple of times and made some mistakes but (Tyler) Burstrom came in and did a nice job of putting up five zeros on the scoreboard. He kept it close where we could have a chance to strike back but we’ve got to clean it up early in games and not play from behind.”

The Ospreys (17-7, 1-0) wasted little time getting on the scoreboard with a four-run top of the first behind four hits a walk and a costly Lipscomb (8-15, 0-1 A-Sun) error. UNF added a run in the second before the Bisons would get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame.

Lipscomb redshirt freshman shortstop Noah Chandler opened up the frame with a single to third before junior left fielder Chad Shannon walked to move Chandler into scoring position. That would prove to be large when junior right fielder Drew Adams hit a sky high pop into foul ground between the plate and first.

The wind caught the ball and drifted it back into fair territory and by the time it hit the ground Chandler was across the dish, Shannon was at third with Adams on first.

The Ospreys then put the game out of reach in the fourth inning with a three-run frame that ended the night for Lipscomb junior starter Hunter Brothers.

The Bisons would plate another run in the fifth as senior catcher Taylor Stewart doubled down the left field line to score Adams but that is as close as Lipscomb would come.

Adams led the team offensively with a 3-for-4 effort at the dish while the rest of the team went 3-for-28 collectively.

The Ospreys pitching staff including starter Tommy Organ had a lot to do with. Organ tossed the first 5.2 innings giving up two earned runs and five hits before the bullpen of David Trexler and Ryan McMahon combined to give up one hit the rest of the way.

Brothers took the loss surrendering seven earned runs and 11 hits in 3.2 innings of work. The highlight of the night for the Bisons was the relief work of senior Tyler Burstrom, who tossed the final 5.1 innings allowing only two hits.

The series continues on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. between the two A-Sun foes.